Mix design of green concretes based on materials thrifty of non-renewable resources -- Ingénieur Civil

Environmental and financial imperatives have led to an increasing demand of green concretes. In this master thesis, concretes with high substitution rates of cement are considered in order to decrease their carbon footprint. More precisely, the studied binders are composed of variable rates of cement, blast furnace slag and limestone filler. Even though the use of the latter is promising, its effects on concrete properties still remain quite indefinite. Therefore, its influence on hydration reaction, setting, workability and mechanical strength at early age of concrete are thoroughly studied. To this end, a sequence of experiments of isothermal and adiabatic calorimetry, mechanical strength and ultra-sonic measurement of the setting are carried out. This study confirms the accelerating effect of limestone filler additions on setting and highlights its impact on the workability of concrete. Finally, it shows that substitution rates of over 75% of cement with 30% to 40% of limestone filler, can meet construction site requirements.